Let's have a bit of musical fun! This is all the same song, but sung very differently, by the best opera singers in the world, plus an American who would either make them laugh or scream. It's not that I adore this song, but it's one that all of these singers sang, and as you'll see later, it's what got me started in opera (I'm still very new at it). Just a little from each is fine for this experiment.
Let's start with Enrico Caruso. For those who love Mary Ellis, yes, this is the same man she sang with early in her career. Notice how differently he sings from everyone else on this list!
Enrico Caruso - O Sole Mio
youtube.com/watch?v=u1QJwHWvgP…
Now from Richard Tauber. For my fellow operetta lovers, he is very good to know, as he sang with Lehar at the piano many times (including a concert in 1947), along with recording many other lovely songs by other composers, even in English! But back to this one, he actually sings it in German!
Meine Sonne (O Sole Mio) - RICHARD TAUBER (1927)
youtube.com/watch?v=9O1Z3LX1gb…
Now from Ben
... Show more...Let's have a bit of musical fun! This is all the same song, but sung very differently, by the best opera singers in the world, plus an American who would either make them laugh or scream. It's not that I adore this song, but it's one that all of these singers sang, and as you'll see later, it's what got me started in opera (I'm still very new at it). Just a little from each is fine for this experiment.
Let's start with Enrico Caruso. For those who love Mary Ellis, yes, this is the same man she sang with early in her career. Notice how differently he sings from everyone else on this list!
Enrico Caruso - O Sole Mio
youtube.com/watch?v=u1QJwHWvgP…
Now from Richard Tauber. For my fellow operetta lovers, he is very good to know, as he sang with Lehar at the piano many times (including a concert in 1947), along with recording many other lovely songs by other composers, even in English! But back to this one, he actually sings it in German!
Meine Sonne (O Sole Mio) - RICHARD TAUBER (1927)
youtube.com/watch?v=9O1Z3LX1gb…
Now from Beniamino Gigli.
Beniamino Gigli-O sole mio
youtube.com/watch?v=4QG0HK1CTM…
Now, from Pavarotti. Normally, I don't include people born as late as he (1935) in my opera adventures. But he was literally the only opera singer I knew of until a few months ago. Remember, I'm an operetta lover, and that's a whole different thing.
Luciano Pavarotti_ 'O Sole Mio'
youtube.com/watch?v=eQSNVBLTXY…
One of these is not like the others, and here it is! For powerful voices in popular music, I would recommend Tom Jones (he's from Wales, so that's a given), Roy Orbison, or Tony Williams (from the Platters). Nevertheless, this is how I always knew the song, until I heard that it was originally in Italian. One day, I decided to research it, found the version by Caruso, and my opera journey began.
elvis presley - its now or never (1960)
youtube.com/watch?v=QkMVscR5YO…
Here, then, is my very quick analysis, as a listener, not any sort of expert in either singing or opera, so the rest of the world will probably disagree with me.
Enrico Caruso: This performance is flawless. He slides his notes perfectly and doesn't add or subtract too much of anything. Yet his voice is strong, and would be clear if the recording equipment had permitted it.
Richard Tauber: Right away, the difference in language is noticeable, and it is quite interesting. Again, the recording removes some of the clarity, but his voice shines through and is strong. He is a bit more dramatic than Caruso, but is still perfectly balanced.
Beniamino Gigli: Normally, I like his singing. But here, he seems to overdo it. His voice is strong, but he's much too dramatic. That said, this is exactly what I would have expected opera to sound like prior to learning anything about it, so let's call him the classic.
Luciano Pavarotti: His voice is clear and sweet, and his diction is lovely. I'm sure he normally sings wonderfully. But to me, this is void of emotion and is very uninspiring, especially after hearing the others. Had I herd it on its own, my opinion may have been different.
Elvis Presley: It's not really fair to judge him on the same lines as the others. He had no formal training in opera, and he didn't pretend to. He took an operatic song and turned it into a popular one, and on those grounds, he did a good job. His voice is tender and sweet, yet strong when it needs to be.
And my personal winner is... It's a tie between Caruso and Tauber! I really can't decide between them, as both are perfect!
#BeniaminoGigli #ElvisPresley #EnricoCaruso #opera #LucianoPavarotti #review #RichardTauber
Georgiana Brummell
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